VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[Mike Harrison]

Few of us have a completely soundproof recording space. Of those who do live sessions via ISDN, Source-Connect, etc., having coordinated a mutually convenient date and time with a studio and their client, what is the worst interruption where you've had to pause the session the longest due to unexpected noise out of your control?

I know studios are forgiving to a degree but, in your opinion, how long do you think it would be "acceptable" to expect a studio to wait until an unexpected noisy situation clears? Has anyone had a situation arise where the session had to be rescheduled? How forgiving are studios about that?

EDIT: The reason for my asking is that I'm trying to make a point with someone on this subject. So if you have a personal experience and/or an opinion, even if it's already been voiced by someone else, please do speak up. Many thanks!
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.

[Dan-O]

A large tree came down outside the window of my first studio. The chainsaw ran for three days straight. I pulled out the credit card and bought an enhanced walled Whisperroom. Never had an issue until ten years later. After moving into a new home and discovered a train ran nearby a couple times every day. The vibration interrupted a session for about 5 minutes. We moved the booth to the basement and all was well.

As for your question of how long would a studio tolerate interruptions? Once, if it were accidental. If you are aware of an ongoing issue, you need to fix it asap. This is where customer service comes in. Schedule sessions elsewhere and even offer to pay for the use of the additional studio.

[Rick Riley]

It’s not just an interruption that you might have to wait for. What if you’d done a couple reads and they were still offering direction? BANG... YOU NAILED IT! And right in the middle a door slams, a kid screams, a plane goes overhead, a truck hits his air brakes... need I go on? It’s not just waiting. You just killed your perfect performance. Sure you might do it again... but you get the picture. It’s one thing to have to pause for a moment BEFORE you record. It’s another to have people recording you, and right in the middle, whatever you’ve just done becomes trash.

I like Dan, spent a lot of money building a studio that wouldn't offer me those disappointments. And it's been well worth the money spent.
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Never do anything you wouldn't want to explain to the Paramedics

www.rickrileyvoice.com

[melissa eX]

When I was in the burbs I also had the landscaper problem. I would try to schedule live sessions more or less around what would be their lunch. I've been known to buy breakfast for a 1/2 hour break when necessary.

Interesting enough, now that I'm in Lower Manhattan (you know where there are 2 seasons, winter and construction) my space is much quieter. Double pane windows and an awesome booth saw to that.
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www.melissaeXelberth.com
from crime...to the divine(R)
bilingual vo

[Philip Banks]

Two hour session while my ex-wife moved out. Her removal team looted my property. Comments from producer, sound engineer and client? NONE!

[melissa eX]

[MBVOXX]

I had to pause a session last year due to helicopter noise...went outside and saw there were several Chinooks slowly cruising overhead and the volume of air they were displacing was tremendous. The next day we went outside to see 3 B52's cruising above us in a long, low altitude, banking turn. Turned out there was an air show scheduled for the upcoming weekend about 75 miles away and I guess they were flying in for the show. The B52 flyby was pretty cool.

But it seems that even the best built studios can occasionally suffer noise pollution. A couple of years back I was in an ultra high end facility for a VO session and was recording in a booth that is completely detached from the building. It's on it's own separate foundation with the floor suspended on rubber pegs above the concrete slab, walls within walls, a virtual vacuum space inside the 'mother ship'. Mic was mounted on a good studio boom with a shockmount. During the session I was hearing a high pitched "tink-tink-tink" sound in my ears and asked the engineer what it was. He said there was a guy outside chiseling their logo into the building's stonewall that faces the big parking lot. "Don't worry, it'll never be heard in the track once we mix it".

When I left sure enough there was the stone worker on an extension ladder working his magic about 20 feet up the wall. And the wall he was working on was at the far end of the building from where we were recording. My best guestimate on this facility is that it's got at least $10M invested in a ground up build of approx 20K sq ft that hosts multiple audio and video suites plus a full cinema for film music and sfx mixing. And still, with all that went into building the place, the hammering on the outside wall made it all the way thru the structure, into a floating booth, and into the mic.

So an occasional noise delay doesn't bother me. It's just comes with the territory. My clients know that every now and then we'll have a start delay due to heavy weather or a short pause for the garbage truck, but for the most part my studio is pretty quiet for a home build.

[Rick Riley]

[todd ellis]

i live on a small cul-de-sac in a small town & all but one of my neighbors work during the day, so aside from the garbage truck once a week & the odd bump & grind - i'm pretty in the clear.
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"i know philip banks": todd ellis
who's/on/1st?

[Tre M.]

[Tre M.]

My old apartment was the WORST!

Lived on 3rd floor, and this particular day management decides of all days let's do work on the roof. MY unit's roof was first. Walking, hammering, loaders dropping off tacks and equipment was an all day thing. Just murderous.
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Tre@trespeaksforyou.com
Www.trespeaksforyou.com
Skype: TKM32246

Source Connect: http://source-connect.com/tremovo

[todd ellis]

those are the days when you say "screw it!" and go hunting/golfing/hiking/swimming/not talking-out-loud
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"i know philip banks": todd ellis
who's/on/1st?